WORCESTER –Â At an emergency meeting on Friday, the Educational Association of Worcester (EAW) voted to support a vote of no confidence in the Worcester School Committee, Worcester City Council, Worcester Public Schools Superintendent, and Worcester City Manager. Verdier said the vote was the result of a collective failure by city government and administrators to negotiate a fair contract for educators. She also said 97 percent of members at the emergency meeting supported the resolution.
The last contract with Worcester Public Schools teachers expired in August.
Earlier in the day on Friday, the Worcester School Committee announced it had filed a petition to request the Massachusetts Department of Labor appoint a mediator in negotiations for a new contract with Worcester Public Schools teachers. The school committee’s statement said the EAW rejected its last proposal and did not make a counter offer.
Verdier said the claim that negotiations between the school committee and EAW are at an impasse is false and called the decision to seek state mediation a stall tactic that introduces a time-consuming and costly third party from outside Worcester, and prevents direct, face-to-face negotiations. It also said the school committee has cancelled future negotiation sessions.
Verdier also said the EAW started bargaining in January 2022 and provided proposals in March 2022, yet the district didn’t respond until December 2022, and only seven bargaining sessions have taken place since. She added that the union still awaits response to proposals they made last year.
The union has claimed that the City of Worcester is underfunding public schools and contributing the bare minimum of what the state requires. It also says Worcester teachers are paid $10,000 to $13,000 less than teachers working in neighboring districts.
State Data on Education Spending
In 2020, the latest data available published by the Massachusetts Department of Education (DOE), Worcester’s Necessary School Spending (NSS), the amount required by Chapter 70 of Massachusetts General Law, was $3.3 million over the required $379.5 million, or 1 percent over the required amount. Just 12 Massachusetts municipalities spent a lower percentage over their NSS. In total dollars, 100 municipalities spend less than $3.3 million over NSS.
Boston spends 28 percent over its required NSS, which is over $273 million more than the $910 million it is required to spend. Springfield spends 4 percent less than its NSS.
In total NSS, only Boston and Springfield have a larger NSS than Worcester. The next largest education spender in Massachusetts is Lynn, which has an NSS of $235.5 million, over $ 140m less than Worcester. Lynn also spends one percent over its required amount.
Municipalities must spend at least 95 percent of NSS or face penalties to state funding it receives for education. No municipality spends less than 95 percent of NSS. Most education spending is funded by the state.
According to DOE, in fiscal year 2024, Worcester NSS is $478 million. Worcester will be required to fund $120.4 million while the state will fund $357.5 million.
City official in Worcester, including City Manager Eric Batista, have pointed out that costs such as school improvements or new buildings, like the construction of the new Doherty High School, are not included in that funding.
